Southwest Chicken Linguine

This creamy Southwest Chicken Linguine pasta dish is loaded with grilled chicken, mushrooms and green onion.  It gets it’s Southwestern spiciness from the addition of Rotel tomatoes.  An instant family favorite! On the table in 30 minutes!

Our family eats pasta at least once a week.  It’s one of the dinners that my whole family enjoys. That’s why when I find a winner to add to the rotation, I have to share it with you!  This is just that.  This linguine, with it’s Southwestern flavors, had my heart instantly.  Rotel Tomatoes, mushrooms, grilled chicken, onions … all tossed together in this super creamy, slightly spicy sauce.  Swoon!

My foodie pal, Brandi from Aunt Bee’s Recipes, posted this recipe for a recipe share we were both involved in for Mother’s Day a few years back.  I was intrigued by the ingredients.  Like I said, I love pasta, but not always a big fan of heavy cream sauces like Alfredo.  She assured me that I would love it, and she was right!  It’s not a thick heavy cream sauce, like a traditional Alfredo sauce would be.  Am I the only person on earth that isn’t a fan of Alfredo?  Quite possibly.  Her recipe is named Southwestern Chicken Linguine Alfredo, but I left the “Alfredo” part off in my title.

What you need for this Southwestern Chicken Linguine

• a box of linguine noodles
• grilled chicken, cut into pieces. This is perfect for left over chicken!
• one bunch of green onions
• fresh white mushrooms – it’s also yummy with baby bellas
• a can of diced tomatoes, and a can of Rotel tomatoes – determine the heat of the sauce by the kind of Rotel you choose
• heavy cream
• Parmesan cheese and butter

Start out by sautéing the onions in butter, add in the mushrooms and garlic.  The aroma is AH-Mazing.  When they are both tender, you will add to it the undrained diced tomatoes and Rotel.  Again, you can determine just how spicy the sauce will be by which can of Rotel you select.  Next, adding the cream and the Parmesan cheese, mellows out that spice, and compliments it perfectly. While all of this is happening you are cooking your linguine noodles in another pot.  Drain them and get ready to toss it all together.  When you toss it together you will add in your grilled chicken.  You can grill it up especially for this recipe, or it’s perfect for using leftover chicken.  Brandi has a special grilled chicken marinade she loves to use on her chicken when she makes this, but I cheated and used one of my favorite “go-to” freezer items.  I love to buy marinated grilled chicken fajita meat from my Schwans man! I decided the night I made this, I would make this simple recipe even easier and opened up a package.  I simply placed it on a cookie sheet in my oven to warm while I prepared the rest of the pasta, and tossed it in at the end.

I am so happy to have found this recipe, and so is my family. For a meatless option, it’s perfectly tasty to leave the chicken out, so keep that in mind, too.  We like to have it that way during Lent.   Of course if you LOVE chicken, you will want to take a peek at this 20+ Family Favorite Chicken Recipes  round-up that I have available.  It’s literally a one stop recipe stop for all sorts of chicken recipes and ways to use leftover chicken.

20+ Tried and True Family Favorite Chicken Recipes. Everything you can imagine: Salads, Grilled and Baked Chicken Recipes, Pastas and Casseroles and everything in between! Your One stop place for Chicken Recipes.

Love Those Southwestern Flavors?  Here are some other recipes you are sure to love!

• SOUTHWESTERN SAUSAGE BRUNCH ROLL-UPS: Puff pastry dough rolled around breakfast sausage links, scrambled eggs with green chilies and Monterrey Jack cheese, baked up til golden brown and flaky. Easily made ahead.
• SOUTHWESTERN PINTO BEAN SOUP – Bean soup with a Southwestern flair. You will enjoy the heartiness of this soup, and how it’s simply made in the slow cooker.
• SOUTHWEST CHIPOTLE STUFFED PEPPERS – Southwestern flavored stuffed sweet bell peppers will be a tasty new addition to your weekly menu plan!
• SOUTHWESTERN SOUP -Southwestern Soup is bursting with great flavor and is ready in just 30 minutes.  It makes a large pot so you’ll have plenty for dinner tonight and lunch tomorrow.
• SOUTHWESTERN COLE SLAW – Mayo-Free, a little spicy from the jalapeño, a little smoky from the cumin and little sweet from the honey.
• SOUTHWESTERN POTATO CROQUETTES – Mashed Potatoes are mixed with Southwest seasoning and fried to a crispy golden brown to make Southwest Potato Croquettes. Served with a spicy cool green chile ranch dip and they are the perfect appetizer!
• SOUTHWEST SPICED CHICKEN WINGS – Crispy oven-baked southwest spiced chicken wings marinated in homemade Southwest Seasoning Mix are a great addition to any party!  Serve with an Avocado Salsa Verde sauce to cool them down!

So, the next time you are looking for a great new pasta recipe to try, I hope you try this one.  It’s satisfying to those creamy Alfredo loving folks, and to us who don’t want that heaviness of an Alfredo, too.  It’s just a win-win no matter how you look at it!  Kind of like this Creamy Shrimp Alfredo – no pasta even required … Just pure yumminess!

 Let’s make some Southwestern Chicken Linguine!  

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Yield: 8

Southwest Chicken Linguine

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This creamy linguine pasta dish is loaded with grilled chicken, mushrooms and green onion.  It gets it's Southwestern spiciness from the addition of Rotel tomatoes.  An instant family favorite!

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 4 chicken breasts, grilled and sliced. (I used a frozen grilled chicken fajita meat about 1.5 pounds)
• 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter
• 16 ounce sliced fresh mushrooms
• 1 large onion diced (I used a sweet onion)
• 3 - 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 (14.5) ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 can MILD Rotel (diced tomatoes with green chilies), undrained
• 2 teaspoons Salt
• 2 teaspoons Black Pepper
• 16 ounces Heavy Cream
• 1/2 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese, plus additional for serving
• 16 ounce Linguine Noodles, cooked al dente
• Green Onions, for garnishing

Instructions

In a large skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and onions and saute until softened. About 10 minutes. Add the minced garlic and continue cooking for 1 minute stirring constantly. Add the UNDRAINED tomatoes, UNDRAINED rotel, salt and pepper. Continue cooking for 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium, add the cream and parmesan cheese, and continue cooking until sauce thickens slightly, about 10 more minutes. Stirring occasionally. Meanwhile prepare linguini noodles according to package directions. Toss cooked noodles with prepared sauce. Top with sliced grilled chicken and lots of green onions.

Notes

Original Recipe from Aunt Bee's Recipes

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

8

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 738Total Fat: 41gSaturated Fat: 22gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 15gCholesterol: 184mgSodium: 1153mgCarbohydrates: 48gFiber: 4gSugar: 6gProtein: 45g

Nutrition isn't always accurate.

If you make this recipe, I’d love to know! Snap a picture, share the photo on social media with the hashtag #AnAffairFromTheHeart – I’d love to see what you made! – Michaela